Protective insulating sleeve



March 4 1924.

M B SALISBURY PROTECTIVE INSULATING SLEEVE Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs.

moses B. SALISBURY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROTECTIVE INSULATING SLEEVE.

Application filed December 21, 1922. Serial No. 608,840.

sulating sleeves for encasing electrical conductors, designed andadapted to protect linemen and others from shock, when working aroundsaid conductors.

The object of the invention is to rovide an improved protective sleevefor t e purpose specified, which is simple in construction, may quicklyand conveniently be adjusted to and disengaged from conductor wires, iseffective for its designed purpose, and which will retain its positionon a conductor Wire under contemplated conditions of use withoutseparate securing means.

To eifect the foregoing objects, my improved protective sleeve is madeof suitable resilient insulating material, preferably rubher, splitlengthwise on a substantially straight linewhich can readily be done inprocess of-manufacturean interior lip being formed on one severed edgeof said sleeve which overlaps the other severed edge thereof. Saidsleeve will preferabl be made of vulcanized rubber of proper t icknessboth to provide effective insulation for the conductor wire and torender said sleeve sufliciently stiff that it may be snapped onto andoff from the conductor wire and will retain its position on said wireunde con-- templated conditions of use, unsupported by other means.

Also, to facilitate applying my improved protective sleeve to aconductor wire, said sleeve is provided at its severed edges withexterior ribs, the adjacent sides of which flare outwardly, forming agroovein which the conductor wire is ada ted to be seated and the flaredsides thereo providing wedg ing" surfaces adapted to force the severededges of said sleeve apart when said sleeve is subjected to pressureagainst a conductor wire seated in the groove formed by said flaredsurfaces, thus afi'ording convenient means for snapping said protectivesleeve onto said conductor wire.

In the accompanying drawings, in which my invention is fu ly lllustrateFigure 1 is an end view of a protective insulating sleeve embodying myinvention and improvements, shown as applied in use to a conductor'wire.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates the protective sleeve as awhole,

shown as applied in use to a conductor wire 2.

To provide for quickly and conveniently applying the sleeve 1 to theconductor wire, said sleeve it split lengthwise on a line of severancesubstantially parallel with its axis, as shown at 3-which may quicklyand conveniently be done in process of manufacture. The severed edges 4and 5 of said sleeve aremaintained normally in contact with each otherby the resilience of said sleeve, and formed on one severed edgethere0f-.as shown on the severed edge 4is an interior lip 6 whichoverlaps the other severed edge 5. As shown, in Fig. 1, said lipdecreases in thickness outwardly, terminating in a thin edge.

Formedon the severed edges 4 and 5 of the sleeve 1 are exterior ribs 7and 8, the adjacent sides of which diverge outwardly, forming a groove 9lengthwise of said sleeve, the sides of which form flared extensions ofthe severed edges thereof and which provide wedging surfaces adapted forforcing the severed edges 4 andv 5 of said sleeve apart when pressure isexerted 0n said sleeve against a conductor wire seated in the roove 9,thus providing convenient means ot snapping said sleeve over a conductorwire in a plying it thereto, the resilience of said s eeve again forcingthe severed edges of said sleeve together when the conductor wire entersthe bore thereof.

If, for an reason, difiiculty is experienced, in practice, in formingthe lip 6 with a thin outer edge as shown in Fig. 'l--as' should it beuneven orragged when finishedmy invention contemplates-equally formingsaid lip with a thick outer edge and in rabbetting the free edge of thesleeve other than that to which said lip is attached so as to bring theinner surface of said lip substantially flush with the inner surface ofthe sleeve.

This modification is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings in which 1designates the sleeve, 2' the conductor wire, 3' the line of severanceof said sleeve, 4: and 5' the severed edges of said sleeve and 6 the lipformed ..on the severed edge 4 and which overlies the severed edge 5'.

As shown in said Fig. 3, the lip 6' is formed with a thick outer edge10, and the severed edge 5 of the sleeve is rabbetted, as shown at 11,to receive said lip, the relation being such that the inner side of saidlip will be substantially flush with the inner surface of the sleeve.

My improved protective sleeve is designed for use both with insulatedand uninsulated conductors, the conductor 2, Fig. 1, being shown asinsulated, while the conductor 2, Fig. 3, is shown as uninsulated.

As previously stated, the protective sleeve 1 will preferably be made ofrubber which is vulcanized to impart desired strength and resiliencethereto, and is made sufiiciently thick to provide effective insulationfor said wire, whereby persons who may come into contact with or graspsaid protective sleeve with their hands will be protected from shock.

It will also be understood that the overlapping lip 6 (which bridges theslit in the tube) is sufiiciently resilient to bend to one side, out ofthe way, when the sleeve is forced over the conductor and to snap backinto normal position, against the interior surface opposite the slit,after the conductor has passed the lip. This lip is important in that itlocks the sleeve on the conductor, rendering it practically impossibleto dis lodge the sleeve from the conductor until the sleeve is againopened by taking hold of both of the lips 7 and 8 and spreading the samesufiiciently to permit the conductor to pass out.

I claim- 1. A protective sleeve for the purpose specified, made ofresilient insulating material, said sleeve being split lengthwise andcomprising a lip formed on one of its severed edges which overlaps theother severed edge thereof and bridges the slit of said sleeve.

one of its severed edges which overlies the other severed edge thereof,substantially as described.

4. A protective sleeve as specified in claim 3, which also comprisesexterior ribs on its severed edges, the adjacent sides of which flareoutwardly providing wedging surfaces whereby the severed edges of saidsleeve are forced apart when pressure is applied to said sleeve to snapit over a conductor wire seated in the groove formed by the flared sidesof said ribs, substantially as described.

5. A protective sleeve as specified in .claim 3, in which the interior1i thereof has a thick outer edge, substantia ly as described.

6. A rotective sleeve as specified in claim 5, in w ich the severed edgeof said sleeve other than that to which said interior lip is attached isra-bbetted to receive the edge of said lip, substantially as described.

In witness that I claim the foregoing. as my invention, day of December,A. 1922.

MOSES B. SALISBURY.

I aflix mg signature this 15th

